


Quiet Things

by Polomonkey



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Curtain Fic, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Sexual Content, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-09-27
Packaged: 2018-04-23 15:59:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4882969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polomonkey/pseuds/Polomonkey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur wants to have sex. Elyan wants to sleep. Merlin wants to go to the pharmacy.</p><p>Merlin gets his way, as usual.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quiet Things

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seasalticecream32](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seasalticecream32/gifts).



> For seasalticecream, who likes Arthur/Elyan and Merlin/Elyan so will hopefully like the three of them together :)
> 
> Fills the 'taking care of somebody' square of my h/c bingo, and the 'curtain!fic' square for tropes bingo (it's curtain!fic so the lack of plot is TOTALLY intentional, of course *sweats nervously*)
> 
> Warning for brief reference to past self-harm

**when all is said and done**  
**what counts is having someone**  
**you can phone at five to ask**

**for the immersion heater**  
**to be switched to 'bath'**  
**and the pizza taken from the deepfreeze**

_Home ~ Dennis O'Driscoll_

***

When Elyan wakes up at eleven, it’s to the smell of coffee. He opens his eyes and Merlin’s hovering over him with a steaming mug in his hand.

“Rise and shine, lazybones,” Merlin says, smiling wide.

“Arthur’s not up,” Elyan mumbles, still in a sleepy haze. He can feel Arthur pressed into his side, his breath tickling the back of Elyan’s neck.

“Yeah but he’s awake. He’s just hoping to get some action if he stays in bed.”

As if on cue, Arthur starts rocking his hips into Elyan, which wakes him up properly and makes him laugh.

Merlin kisses the top of both their heads and then bustles over to open the curtains. Merlin always gets up before seven, even on weekends, a fact that Elyan finds insane, frankly. Sleep is clearly the best thing in the world, and he refuses to sacrifice any of it. Merlin can go on about how great being the early bird is all he likes; Elyan will snooze for as long as he can get away with.

(Of course, the real reason Merlin gets up so early is because he finds it hard to sleep at all, but Elyan likes to hope that Merlin at least gets something out of it, that he watches the sunrise and feels some kind of peace.)

With sleep on his mind, he ignores Arthur’s blatant attempt to initiate sex, and settles back down on the pillow. It’s Saturday, there’s nothing he needs to get up for, after all. Just a few more minutes…

“No going back to sleep!” Merlin says, yanking at the bedcovers.

“Yeah, let’s do something else instead,” Arthur says, kissing the nape of Elyan’s neck.

“No sex either! You both have to get up, we’ve got things to do,” Merlin says, pulling clothes out of their wardrobe.

“Merlin, come here and let me blow you,” Arthur says, half lunging off the bed to grab at Merlin’s leg. There are times when Arthur makes an effort to be seductive, but this is clearly not one of them.

Merlin dodges back neatly.

“No time for that!” he says. “We’re going to the pharmacy.”

“Why?” Arthur says, hand still outstretched.

“We need to go pick up our prescriptions,” Merlin says.

“Can’t we go tomorrow? Or El can get them at the hospital on Monday?”

“Yours runs out today Arthur so that’s a big fat no.”

Whether it’s psychological or not, Arthur tends to feel sick if he skips even a single pill. So Elyan takes Merlin’s point that it’ll have to be today. Just…

“Can’t we go later?” he says, stifling a yawn.

“No, because Gwen and Morgana are coming for dinner at six, and we need to cook for them.”

“Gwen won’t care,” Elyan mutters.

“What a horrible brother you are,” Merlin says. “Anyway, even if she doesn’t, Morgana will.”

“Are you kidding?” Arthur says, idly tracing a pattern on Elyan’s hip. “She’ll be thrilled to have something to complain about.”

“You two are awful,” Merlin says. “You don’t deserve to have sisters.”

“Spoken like a true only child,” Arthur says. “One who has never known the pain of waking up with a permanent marker moustache at least once a week.”

“Gwen used to put shaving cream in my shoes,” Elyan chips in helpfully.

“You probably both deserved it,” Merlin says callously, and he punctuates his heartlessness with a renewed tug on the bedcovers.

“Come on-n-n.”

“Go away-y-y-y.”

“We need lube, too,” Merlin says and Arthur suddenly perks up.

“Yes, we do need lube. Get us lube, Merlin.”

“Come with me and get it!”

“Urgh but…”

Arthur’s half dangling off the bed now, head upside down like he’s trying to recreate the Spiderman kiss.

They did that once actually. There was a lot of saliva involved and Elyan called a veto on movie re-enactments after that. Didn’t stop Merlin and Arthur doing The Notebook jump kiss every time it rained though.

“No buts,” Merlin says firmly. “You two are the ones who use it most anyway.”

Arthur can’t argue with that: Merlin doesn’t really like anal sex so he tends to leave the two of them to get on with it. But Elyan can tell Arthur wants to argue, so badly.

He sticks his bottom lip out and Elyan recognises the familiar signs of the Pendragon Pout coming on.

“Let’s just stay in bed for ten more minutes, yeah?” Arthur says in a wheedling tone.

“Yes, let’s,” Elyan says hopefully. Then surely no-one can object if he just drifts off…

“No,” Merlin says, whipping the pillow from under Elyan’s head with surprising speed. “Because _you_ will fall asleep and _he_ will attempt to dry hump me into oblivion. And _I_ will never get to the pharmacy.”

“I haven’t dry humped anyone since I was fifteen!” Arthur protests.

“Yeah and even then it was probably just a sofa cushion arranged like a person,” Merlin sniggers and Elyan joins in.

“Oh yeah, laugh it up,” Arthur says sulkily. “I was a late bloomer.”

“You’ve bloomed since?” Elyan says. “News to me.”

Arthur rather unkindly hits him over the head with the remaining pillow.

“Up! Both of you!”

Merlin manages to haul them both into a standing position after a renewed round of threats and promises. But they shamelessly fall straight back into bed when he leaves to take a shower. Elyan stretches out on his back and lets his eyes fall closed as Arthur snuggles into his side and begins licking his neck. It feels so good and Elyan’s so wonderfully sleepy and unfocussed. His cock is sort of interested in a distant hazy way, but mostly he likes drifting in and out as Arthur’s hands move across his body, deft and skilful.

They freeze guiltily when Merlin comes back in, the look on his face so comically reproachful that Arthur starts to laugh round a mouthful of Elyan’s cock. The odd sensation makes Elyan laugh too and soon the both of them are giggling uncontrollably while Merlin glares at them from the doorway.

He’s trying his best to look intimidating but he is completely naked and… well, don’t ask Elyan why, but Merlin’s cock always looks kind of happy to him. Perky, somehow. A cheerful little fellow.

He waves at it and Merlin gives him a look that’s equal parts exasperated and amused.

“Stop waving at my dick, El. And stop pretending it’s got a personality of its own.”

“It does though,” Elyan argues. “Right, Arthur?”

“Merlin’s cock?” Arthur says lazily, lifting his head from where he’s sucking a love bite into Elyan’s thigh. “Yeah. Happy little guy.”

“Less of the little!” Merlin protests, but he can’t hide his smile.

Merlin’s cock is quite little. Elyan likes it that way. It’s compact and neat and fits agreeably in his mouth.

“Your prick is nicer than you Merlin, we’ve decided. You’re all grumpy. He’s always pleased to see us.”

“He’s not pleased to see you today,” Merlin says sternly. “He wants to show Morgana and Gwen a nice time and you’re ruining it.”

There’s a slight pause where he realises what he’s just said, while Arthur and Elyan collapse into paroxysms of laughter.

“You better keep Mr Happy away from our sisters, Merlin.”

“Don’t worry, Morgana’d probably chop it off if he tried anything.”

“Shhh!” Merlin hisses, covering his cock with his hands. “Don’t let him hear you say that.”

“Get on the bed, I know how to cheer him up,” says Arthur with a slight leer.

“God, you are sex obsessed.”

Arthur puts on a hurt expression.

“I’m wounded. I wasn’t going to suggest anything X-rated. It was a purely wholesome cheer-up idea.”

“Like what?” Merlin asks warily.

Without warning, Arthur launches himself at Merlin and manages to pull him onto the bed. Then he begins to tickle him, mercilessly.

Merlin is unbelievably ticklish. Elyan finds it beyond hilarious, especially the outraged faces Merlin makes when one of them pins him down. He’s making one right now, eyes wide with indignation as he squirms under Arthur’s hands.

“Abuse! This is abuse! Do something El!”

Elyan decides to ignore Merlin’s pleas for help and joins in instead, targeting Merlin’s stomach – otherwise known as his weak spot.

“Betrayal!”

Merlin writhes and thrashes until they eventually let up and the whole thing turns into a disorganised cuddle pile.

“I’m telling Gwen and Morgana,” he says, voice still breathy from laughing. “Then you’ll be for it.”

“We’ll tickle them as well,” Elyan says, nuzzling into Merlin’s neck. “That’s how I used to win fights with Gwen.”

“I never won a fight with Morgana,” Arthur says gloomily. “She’s had sharp nails since she was six years old.” 

“Poor baby,” Merlin croons and suddenly his voice is soft with sleep, and Elyan dares to hope that maybe a little nap is on the cards after all…

Then Merlin rolls off the bed with the duvet firmly in hand, dumping Arthur and Elyan unceremoniously onto the floor.

They know when they’re beaten. It doesn’t stop them tickling Merlin again when they’re on the bus, it seems like an apt punishment.

 

***

 

There's a huge queue at the pharmacy, as ever. Arthur starts whining the moment he sees it and Elyan placates him by sending him off to buy lube. And then Elyan sends Merlin after him as well, lest they end up with some tingling strawberry monstrosity like they did last time Arthur was allowed free rein.

So he ends up waiting by himself. He fiddles with the prescription papers in his hand, fans them out. Buspirone for Merlin, sertraline for Arthur, naproxen for him.

His naproxen is only temporary. Elyan had hurt his back tackling a patient who was threatening one of the nurses. 

(Merlin had been so cross. "They have security, don't they? You're as bad as Arthur for playing the hero," he'd grumbled, and Elyan couldn't help but feel warmed by the worry and affection that Merlin was poorly concealing.)

The buspirone is for Merlin’s anxiety. He hasn’t been on it long; the GP’s trying it out after the SSRIs didn’t work. Elyan really hopes this one will be better. He doesn’t want Merlin to start taking benzos; he thinks they’re too risky. 

Arthur’s been on sertraline for depression for nearly a year now. He doesn’t like taking it, still think it’s weak after all this time, even when Elyan tries to gently imply that that’s his father talking. There’s nothing weak about getting the help you need. On some level Arthur understands that, but there’ll always be the part of him that was conditioned to think he has to go it alone. Elyan can only counter it as best he can.

On days like this he doesn’t have to. Today is a good day. When Merlin is calm and Arthur is playful and Elyan isn’t so unspeakably worn out from work that he can barely hold a conversation. 

They’re not all good days. And it did get too difficult once. There were a couple of months where Arthur became very depressed, the kind where he withdrew into himself and didn’t speak or move for hours on end. It unfortunately coincided with a time when Merlin’s anxiety was very bad, and he was getting wound up tighter and tighter every day, unable to sleep at night and throwing up half the food he ate.

Elyan tried to look after them both; making meals plain enough to not upset Merlin’s stomach further, tempting enough that Arthur would eat them at all. He stayed up with Merlin on the nights he was too frantic to close his eyes, and he got Arthur out of bed in the mornings and made sure he went to work.

He coped for a while. But then his own job became more stressful; he was doing a round on the Oncology ward, and his boss was a tyrant, and he reached a point where he couldn’t face the thought of coming home to take care of anyone else.

He ended up breaking down at the kitchen table one night, telling Merlin and Arthur that he loved them more than he could ever express, but it was just too much. That if things didn’t change, he’d have to go, because he was burned out.

They listened, and they understood. Merlin switched his medication again, and Arthur went back to therapy. They didn’t magically recover, but they did get slightly better, and they promised to look after him too. Now when Elyan’s reached the end of a hard week, and he’s headachy and tense, he texts something like ‘Tired today’. And when he gets home Arthur’s come back early to make him dinner and Merlin gives him a back rub and massages his temples; and they put him in the centre of the bed when it’s time to go to sleep and snuggle up beside him. It recharges his batteries, so that the next time they need help, he’s ready again.

That was nearly half a year ago. On average, he thinks the good days are beginning to outweigh the bad now. He can’t imagine leaving anymore.

None of them are perfect, but they’ve made a little home together.

He can hear Arthur laughing from two aisles over, and Merlin’s higher pitched giggle joining in. Elyan fingers the slips of paper in his hand and thinks about long nights spent bathing Merlin's bitten down and near-infected fingernails. About the thin white scars on the tops of Arthur's thighs, made long before Elyan knew him.

Love is in the quiet things, he decides. In the sleepy soft hello that Arthur mumbles when Elyan crawls into bed late after a night shift. In the way Merlin touches the back of Elyan's neck sometimes as he walks by, a gentle brush of fingers that always leaves Elyan momentarily lost for words.

He’s nearly at the front of the queue. In a minute, his boyfriends will join him again, and they’ll pick up their medicine. Then they’ll go to the supermarket and buy the food they need for dinner tonight. Arthur will moan about having to carry all the bags and Merlin will try and buy all the sweets he can sneak into the basket and Elyan will attempt to doze off on the bus ride home. When they get back, Elyan will do the chopping and Arthur will do the frying and Merlin will do the washing up, because his cooking skills leave much to be desired. But he’ll set the table and entertain the girls when they arrive and they’ll all eat and drink and have a good time.

And at some point, Gwen will find Elyan in the kitchen, maybe making coffee at the end of the night, and she’ll give him that look. The one that says how proud she is of him. How happy she is that he’s built himself a life like this. How glad she is that he’s not the only one taking care of people anymore, that he’s letting people take care of him.

She won’t say any of that out loud. But he’ll know. And he’ll rest his forehead on hers for a second, just like he did when they were children. Then he’ll go back out into the living room, where Arthur and Merlin will be waiting for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
